During 2011, IT companies made great strides and produced a number of improvements and enhancements to their software suites for both backup and disaster recovery; functions that are related to one another but that do not completely overlap. IT support personnel using a managed services approach often upgrade to the newest version available of a product because these upgrades and updates often represent a large step forward in computer and network security.

Symantec NetBackup 7.1

Symantec NetBackup has been a trusted product for some time. The new features available in version 7.1 allow managed services staff better controls over the virtual machines in use on the network. Such machines can be discovered without a need to adjust backup policies. In addition, version 7.1 offers quick restoration of individual folders or even files and allows VMware vCenter to integrate with the backup software in real time so that de-duplication procedures can take place in both the virtual and physical environment. This produces a more streamlined set of backups to use should disaster recovery procedures become necessary due to some unforeseen circumstance.

VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager 5

Another product that acquired significant new features during 2011 was Site Recovery Manager, a VMware product. Version 5 of Site Recovery Manager allows for replication based at the hypervisor level and is able to transfer virtual servers in the event that disaster recovery becomes necessary.

With improved tools such as these, managed services staff during 2012 will be able to assist businesses with backup and disaster recovery more efficiently than ever before.